Recycle Sunday - Pickleball Statistical Analysis - Honest Self-Awareness

A blast from the past...

This week's Recycle Sunday article was originally published February 16, 2016.

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We have spent more than a week discussing the statistical analysis of pickleball play as performed by Noel White. Noel offered one last observation from his research and I will present it below without comment.  From Noel:

The Palm Creek pickleball players who know me, are aware that I spend my pickleball time, when not playing, observing the play of others and primarily asking these observed others how they think they just played. Another variation is asking other game watchers what they are seeing going on in the playing in front of them.

When I can be diplomatic, rather than nosy, I am soliciting people’s perceptions and estimates of what is and is not working for them. I compare what they tell me with what I have previously witnessed.

Recycle Sunday - Pickleball Statistical Analysis - Conversions

A blast from the past...

This week's Recycle Sunday article was originally published February 14, 2016.

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Noel White analyzed 5 areas of pickleball as listed in my post Pickleball Statistical Analysis. We have covered the first four of those areas over the past week and will now discuss the last area of his work. The subject is conversions, a term with which I was not previously familiar. Before we define it, let's see how important it was found to be. The conclusion (Results Nutshell) reached by Noel was:

90% of the time winning teams have the most total number of successful conversions. I have some rough estimates that teams using the most offensive type conversions win a high % of the time and teams that have the most defensive type of conversion shots lose a majority of their games

A 90% factor in winning seems to be pretty important, at least important enough to understand how to use it to our advantage.

Noel has described a conversion as "any change-up in hitting or playing the game that breaks the previous pattern of hitting or play. For example, a lob out of a dinking pattern, soft hitting to hard hitting, a cross-court shot during a pattern of straight line volleying….)"

Recycle Sunday - Pickleball Statistical Analysis - Getting to the Net

A blast from the past...

This week's Recycle Sunday article was originally published February 13, 2016.

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My post on Pickleball Statistical Analysis mentioned 5 areas of the game that were observed and evaluated by Noel White. The fourth of these 5 areas was the service team getting to the net. The conclusion (Results Nutshell) reached by Noel was:

100% of the teams that take a conservative approach to getting to the net never make it to the medal rounds. Approximately 20% of the playing teams take a conservative approach to coming- to-the-net, while in the serving mode. This low-risk approach to the net (waiting for the perfect drop shot, etc.) results in playing defense from the back 1/3 of the court over 50% of their serving time.

90% of the time conservative getting-to-the-net teams (while serving) lose to equal or better competitive teams. A few conservative net-approach teams played defensively from the back 1/3 of the court over 60% of their playing hits when serving.

Yet again, the data is overwhelming.  Teams win games by getting to the kitchen line. Staying back is a huge disadvantage.  In my earlier post You. Must. Get. To. The. (No-Volley) Line, Prem Carnot stated:

Recycle Sunday - Pickleball Statistical Analysis - Return of Serve

A blast from the past...

This week's Recycle Sunday article was originally published February 12, 2016.

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Following up on the statistical analysis discussions of the posts on Unforced Errors and the Drop Shot, we will now cover the third area of play listed in my post on Pickleball Statistical Analysis - the return of serve. The conclusion (Results Nutshell) reached by Noel White regarding the return of serve was:

The return of serve (the 2nd hit) significantly effects which team initially gets to play more of a serving round offensively and which team plays more of the serving round defensively. Approximately 50% of the time the return of serve makes it easy for the servers to get off a good 3rd hit. The other 50% of the time the return of serve is hit in such a manner that the serving team gets off a poor 3rd hit that is predominately a defensive hit.

Recycle Sunday - Pickleball Statistical Analysis - Drop Shots

A blast from the past...

This week's Recycle Sunday article was originally published February 11, 2016.

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I have discussed several options for the third shot, including the drive, the lob, and the drop shot. In my post on The Third Shot, I stated that the drop shot is the best option. I based that recommendation on observations, discussions with 4.0+ players, as well as personal play. Now, I have statistics that support the recommendation. My post on Pickleball Statistical Analysis mentioned 5 areas of the game that were analyzed by Noel White. One of these 5 areas was drop shots. The conclusion (Results Nutshell) reached by Noel was:

In the 2013 research sample, 73% of the time the winning teams hit a majority of the successful drop shots. In the 2012 research sample, approximately 90% of the time the winning teams hit a majority of the successful drop shots.

Recycle Sunday - Pickleball Statistical Analysis - Unforced Errors

A blast from the past...

This week's Recycle Sunday article was originally published February 10, 2016.

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I have watched a lot of movies in my time. I can honestly say that my favorite movie line is Clint Eastwood's "A man's got to know his limitations" from a Dirty Harry movie. Nothing could more accurately describe the first strategy recommendation from Noel Whites' pickleball study mentioned in my post on Pickleball Statistical Analysis. The first conclusion listed by Noel was:

70% of the time winning teams have less unforced errors (many times significantly less) than the losing teams.

Recycle Sunday - Pickleball Statistical Analysis

A blast from the past...

This week's Recycle Sunday article was originally published February 8, 2016.

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I am a big fan of statistical analysis. I believe that mathematics is unbiased and reveals the reality that mythology sometimes hides. It was with some disappointment that I mentioned in several posts that I have never seen any statistical analysis of pickleball play. I am happy to now say that particular void has been filled. I recently stumbled across an extensive analysis developed by Noel White, Club Statistician, Palm Creek Pickleball Club. I am also happy to say that the conclusions confirm the preponderance of observed play and my strategy recommendations. But, while the conclusions shouldn't surprise anyone who watches high level matches, the numbers supporting these conclusions just might.

Recycle Sunday - Transitioning from Tennis to Pickleball

A blast from the past...

This week's Recycle Sunday article was originally published January 28, 2016.

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As discussed in Pickleball vs Tennis - And the Winner is..., more and more tennis players are also playing pickleball.  Some do it just to see what pickleball is all about. Others make it a permanent transition as their aging bodies are better suited to the smaller court.  These players have an edge over non-tennis novices due to their court experience, but there are 5 big differences to which they must adjust.

1. The stroke

A tennis stroke is much longer than a pickleball stroke.  The pickleball court, at 1/3 the size of a tennis court, is a much quicker game that does not demand the power needed to hit a ball the longer distance.  The tennis stroke starts with a long backstroke and a long follow-through as shown below.

Recycle Sunday - Moving as a Team - Let's Stay Together

A blast from the past...

This week's Recycle Sunday article was originally published January 14, 2016.

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Everyone has heard the saying "Two heads are better than one". In pickleball, two players are better than one...if they play as a team. Pickleball is a game of quick shots and strategy. A team must be properly positioned to to account for both factors in order to maximize the probability of winning a rally.

Before beginning the discussion of team positioning, let's review the court dimensions.

Recycle Sunday - Pickleball vs Tennis - And the Winner is...

A blast from the past...

This week's Recycle Sunday article is timely in that it fits neatly between 2 articles about the tennis industry warming to pickleball. This article was originally published December 31, 2015.

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Almost everywhere that pickleball players try to add lines to tennis courts, a battle ensues with the tennis community. But the evidence suggests that pickleball is winning the battle for popularity and thus winning the battle for courts. 

There are a variety of reasons pickleball is winning the popularity battle, but the single biggest factor is the aging of the baby boom generation. As this large demographic moves into retirement, they are looking to retain an active and social lifestyle. Pickleball is winning them over for 5 reasons:

1. Pickleball is less about athleticism and more about strategy and placement.
2. Pickleball is more social, with a smaller court enabling talk among players. Games are quicker allowing players to gather while waiting their turn.
3. The pickleball is slower but still fast enough to have fast volley action.
4. Pickleball rallies last longer due to the smaller court and slower ball.
5. You don’t have to go so far to chase a ball. 

Recycle Sunday - Service Drills

A blast from the past...

I have started a series called Recycle Sunday in which I repeat some old articles. This article was originally published December 26, 2015.

Drills to work on serving are very straightforward and can be done with 2 people or even alone if sufficient balls are available. All a player must do is set up the target, go to the other side of the net, and hit balls toward the target. Then gather them up and do it all again, moving to the next drill once the first is mastered. The drills can can be fun with the addition of competition. Most drills should have 10-20 serves per turn to be worthwhile.

Drill 1 Serves - Players line up to practice 3-5 serves from the right side; then 3-5 from the left side with a couple of players, if available, catching the balls.

Drill 2 Deep Serves - Place a rope or sidewalk chalk line about 3 feet inside the opposite baseline. Players line up to serve from both the right and left sides and aim for the area between the rope/chalk and baseline. 

Competition: Players count the number of deep serves that land between the rope and baseline. The player with the most successful serves is the winner.

Recycle Sunday - Communicating with a Partner - Changing the Game

A blast from the past...

I have started a series called Recycle Sunday in which I repeat some old articles. This article was originally published January 8, 2016.

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We have discussed a couple of partner communication essentials – off-the-court and during a rally. There remain 2 periods of time that have yet to be discussed. These are the breaks between rallies, including time-outs, and post-match. Let’s first focus on the between-rally breaks.

Most play allows very short time periods between rallies, necessitating very brief communications. Generally, these should be limited to one of two quick statements:

1. A player informing their partner of a very specific shot or tactic that may be attempted
2. Encouragement and compliments 

If Player A has noticed a weakness or tendency that was not discussed pre-match, he might choose to try something outside his normal style of play, such as a lob, poach, or alternate third-shot. Player A should communicate this intent to his partner so he can be properly prepared. This type of communication will likely be rare during a match.

Recycle Sunday - Communicating with a Partner - Off the Court

A blast from the past...

I have started a series called Recycle Sunday in which I repeat some old articles. This article was originally published January 6, 2016.

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All of us have relationships with other people - like spouses, children, co-workers, or friends. As a result, we all know how important good communication is to maintaining a healthy relationship. A pickleball partnership is no different, regardless of whether the partnership lasts only one game or extends for years. Good communication strengthens the team and leads to better results.

On-court communication seems obvious and will be discussed in a separate post. But good communication starts off the court with pre-match discussions about what will happen on the court. This is true for all competitive matches and especially true if the partnership is new or in its early stages.

Recycle Sunday - Why Play in a Tournament

A blast from the past...

I have been posting Offbeat Sunday content for a long time. While it will continue as new material becomes available, I have started a series called Recycle Sunday in which I repeat some old articles. This article was originally published December 23, 2015.

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There have been many posts that discuss tournament results or future tournaments. But we have yet to discuss why anyone should choose to play in pickleball tournaments. Let’s first review why anyone should play pickleball at all.

Pickleball is first and foremost FUN. It takes only as much time and effort as you want to expend in order to play at the level you choose. It is a very social sport with a small court allowing verbal interplay among the players. The short games allow players to gather on the sidelines while waiting their turns to play. These gatherings also provide opportunities for social interaction.

Recycle Sunday - Make Fair Line Calls

A blast from the past...

I have been posting Offbeat Sunday content for a long time. While it will continue as new material becomes available, I have started a series called Recycle Sunday in which I repeat some old articles. This article was originally published February 29, 2016.

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Playing pickleball is, first and foremost, supposed to be fun. Players are drawn to the game for that reason and fun should not leave the game no matter how competitive it gets. Arguing line calls detracts from the fun. In fact, it so detracts from the game that it was the subject of a rule change in April 2015. The relevant rules are:

6.D.1. Players will call the lines on their side of the court (excluding the non-volley line on a serve - i.e., short serve, if being called by a referee).

6.D.5. No player should question an opponent’s call unless asked (except that player may appeal a call to the referee in an officiated match). A player should ask the opponent’s opinion if the opponent was in a better position to see the call. An opponent’s opinion, if requested,  shall be accepted. The opinion of a player looking down the line is more likely to be accurate than one looking across the line.

The rule changes highlight the need for players to make fair line calls. In the spirit of keeping the game fun and avoiding conflict about line calls, here are some guidelines:

Recycle Sunday - It Should be Called Dinkball

A blast from the past...

I have been posting Offbeat Sunday content for a long time. While it may continue sporadically as new material becomes available, I am starting a new series called Recycle Sunday in which I will repeat some old articles. This article was originally published November 29, 2015.

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Recent posts have been about moving from the baseline to the kitchen line. Prem Carnot’s article in a recent post made clear why you need to get there. If you haven’t read it yet, please do. Prior to my recent tournament, I planned to follow those posts with a series on kitchen line play ultimately leading toward several posts on dinking. However, my experience at the Holiday Smash has caused me to move dinking to the head of the line.

So, what is dinking and just why is it so darn important? A dink is a ball hit low and soft into your opponent’s kitchen. It is important because it is effective either in a defensive or offensive mode. Its importance grows as the skill level of your opponent rises. It provides you a significant competitive advantage against opponents who can’t or don’t prefer to dink. I saw match after match won and lost by the dinking game in Concord.